Gender Diverse Teens Copped Disproportionate Mental Health Concerns During The Pandemic
"My mental and social health declined, I became isolated from my family and my grades dropped so much."
Gender diverse teens reported higher proportions of negative impacts than their peers during the pandemic, a new survey has found.
‘Clusters of COVID-19 Impact‘ by Mission Australia and Orygen Youth Mental Health collected data during the Delta variant outbreak last year from over 20,000 young people aged 15 to 19, as part of their annual Youth Survey.
The report, released on Wednesday, validated the impact of the pandemic on the group’s education, participation in activities, and mental health. Nearly four percent of participants identified as gender diverse, but the figures revealed the group were twice as likely to report negative mental health due to the pandemic in comparison to male respondents, who accounted for over 42 percent of surveyed individuals.
“COVID-19 has affected my mental health, has caused a lot of stress in regard to school work, and has stopped events from going ahead,” said a gender diverse survey participant from Victoria.
“Not being able to see friends during lockdowns, or when we weren’t allowed at school, was my biggest problem. I thrive off of social interaction, and losing that caused me to get very upset and feel very alone,” a gender diverse 15-year-old from Queensland said.
Additionally, more than twice as many gender diverse young people were affected by housing concerns than those who identified as male or female.
“My mental and social health declined, I became isolated from my family and my grades dropped so much,” shared a 16-year-old gender diverse, Indigenous survey participant from NSW.
In the two years since the pandemic began, the effects of the virus on young people has been well documented. Last June, the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare reported a drop in social connectedness, worsened psychological distress, and detriments to education and employment for those aged 13 to 24.
Young people were also identified as a group “disproportionately burdened” by the pandemic’s impact on mental health by Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank a month later.
Mission Australia said it was important to continue having these conversations as the pandemic continues, as well as flagging the need for better policies to target and support youth mental health and wellbeing under the Albanese Government.
“We need to increase access to mental health services, improve mental health screening, and support offered through schools and workplaces. It’s also vital we ensure that young people at risk of homelessness are identified early and have access to evidence-based housing and support models such as youth foyers when they need them,” said Executive in Practice, Evidence and Impact, Marion Bennett.
“We must listen to the voices of young people so that the negative impacts of the pandemic don’t cause ongoing problems for this generation moving forward,” she said.
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